Safety life-saving fender for cars



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J. TUBA SAFETY LIFE SAVING FENDER FOR CARS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Dec.14, 1926 Patented Aug. 16, 1927.

UNITED STATES JOHN TUBA, ,OF WHITING, INDIANA.

SAFETY LIFE-SAVING FENDER FOB/CARS.

Application filed December 14; 1926. Serial No. 154,776.

This invention relates to life saving the by passes and in back ofthepistons as fenders adapted to be attached to the front of street cars,automotive 'busscs, trucks, pleasure automobiles, and the like.

The principal object is to provide a fender which is automatic in itseffective operation.

Another object is to provide means whereby when the fender is struck bya person it will automatically carry him back, out of danger.

Features of the construction are found in a fixed basket adjustablysupported by brackets secured to both sides of a street car, orautomobile. Under this fixed basket is supported in stirrups orrackbars, an auxiliary basket or endless apron of rubber or othersuitable material to protect the person struck from injury.

This apron is in turn supported on long rolls extending across the trackor roadway to nearly the width of the upper fixed basket.

Thelower basket is normally 'held in its retracted inoperative positionby latch devices which are automatically released when a trip bar isstruck 'by' a body' and forced back a short distance by. slide barsranging hackwardly in guides under the fixed basket, said slide barsbeing "formed with the trip "bar and movable therewith.

The front portion of the lower basket has small wheels and is normallysupported above the ground, but is permitted to drop, causing saidwheels to contact with the ground when the trip bar is forced back.

The trip bar and-its slide "bars collecor apron is' released, the actionof the spring will force said basket forward to pick up the iersonstruck and convey hisbod'y upwardly and backwardly into the fixedbasket.

A quick forward thrust of the apron is prevented by the oil being slowlyforced forwardly ahead of the pistons through will be understood.

The parts of thelife saving fender may be returnectto the normalinoperative position from the platform of the car or from within anautomobile by pull rope or chains, or by other suitable methods anddevices, such as by one or more rack bars connected by gears to shaftingand operating by a hand wheel, crank or the like.

The parts of the device may be protected from dust and dirt by suitablehousings or casings and are also well padded with. rubber or other soft,elastic and waterproof ma terial so that the person struck will not beunduly injured.

For "the accomplishment of these and such further objects as will beapparent to those skilled in the art to which this invention appertains,the invention consists of the following construction, combination and arrangement ofparts hereinafter specifically set forth and illustrated inthe accom .panying drawings forming a part thereof, wherein isshown' anillustrative embodiment of the invention but it will be LlIlfiGISiOOClthat such changes, variations and modifications may be resorted to. asfall within the scopeof the claims hereunto appended.

In the drawings:-

=Figzxl is a side elevation of the improved life saving fender attachediii-position on a street car platform.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the device detached from'the car plat-formwith' parts of i the construction broken away.

Fig. 3 is a detail side view of the lower basket or apron.

Fig. 4 is asection thereof.

Fig. 5 is a detailperspective of parts of the construction. 1

Fig. .6 is an enlarged partial section taken on t'heline 66 of Fig. 1.

of reference, I show at 10 a fixed basket which is adj ustably securedto the platform "11 of a streetcar by brackets 12 having-slots '13through which bolts 14 are passed and clamped.

Carried on the under side of fixed 'basket 10, at opposite sidesthereof, are rack bars 15, on which flanged gears 16 are mounted inrollingcontac-t. These gears are keyed to the ends of a cross shalt "17,on which a long roller 18 is loosely mounted and to 7 Referring to thedrawings by characters lOO which gear wheels 19 are keyed. These gearwheels are in constant mesh with similar gears 20, keyed on short pins21, which enter the ends of an apron drive roller 22, and are locked torotate therewith.

The rollers 18 and 22 are tied together by end plates 23 (see Fig. 5) inwhich are bearing openings 24 for the shaft 17 and the pins 21.

Supported by the rack bars 15, through the gears 16, are side arms 25,of a lower basket or endless apron 26, carried at the rear by the roller22, and at the front on a roller 27 revoluble on a cross shaft 28,having wheels 29 on its ends to engage the road bed when a person isstruck.

Mounted in guide blocks 30, on the sides of the fixed basket, areparellel arms 31, connected at the front by a pumper bar 32, preferablythickly padded with rubber or other soft material to protect the personwhen picked up by the safety fender.

The plates 23, connected to the opposite sides of the lower basket orapron at the rear thereof, are formed with inwardly directed angularextensions 34, to which pistons rods 35 are riveted or otherwisesecured, as at Projecting from under the rear corners of the fixedbasket frame, are backwardly ranging horizontal brackets 37 on which arepivoted at their angles, bell crank catches 38, the catch portions 39normally engaging keepers 40 in the plates 23, through the action ofsprings 37 to retain the lower basket in its retracted back positionagainst the forward urge of spiral springs 41, carried by the pistonrods 35, between the portions 34, of the plates 23 and the forward endsof dash pots 42, provided with by-passes 43, through which the containedoil or other liquid is forced by the reciprocating movements of pistons44.

When a body strikes the bumper bar 32, it and its side bars 31 areforced backward against the pulling action of springs (which normallyhold these parts in the forward position), until said bar strikes thefront of the fixed basket, and when in this position, lock sockets 46,in the side bars 31,

are under the locking noses of hinged dogs 47, which may be lifted bypull cords or wires 48, operated by a handle 49, above the car platform.

When drawn back to its inoperative osition (Fig. 1) the lower basket ishelc up under the upper basket by inwardly directed lugs 56, on the rackbars 15, engaging bevelled lugs 57 on the side bars 25 thereof.

The rear roller 18 of the lower basket is divided midway its length tomake space for a strap which encircles the cross bar 17, and to which isattached a pull rope or wire 51, after which it is passed backwardlyaround a pulley 52 supported in abracket 53,

and thence upwardly to a drum or other winding device 54, operated by acrank or handle 55. The drum may be placed in any convenient position onthe car or automobile, inside or out.

The spring 41, when the parts are released by the side bars 31releasingthe catches 39, are designed to force the lower basketforwardly and as this movement starts, the forward wheels of the saidbasket will drop to the ground and by reason of the rolling engagementof the gears 16, with their racks 15 the top reach of the apron 26 willbe moved upwardly and backwardly thus carrying a prostrate personrearwardly into the fixed basket 10, out of danger.

The forward movement of the spring pushed lower basket is not violentlyrapid but has a somewhat retarded travel caused by the holding action ofthe dash pot 42.

At the time the apron frame starts forward, a projection 56 breakscontact bet-ween spring terminals 57 of the electric circuit 58,controlling a car or automobile to bring it to a quick stop, as will beunderstood.

The pull ropes or wires 48 and 51 are for re-setting the parts of thelife saving fender when a person is struck or should the parts beaccidentally tripped by contact with another car, a pole, fence, orother object.

I claim:

1. In a life saving fender for vehicles, a rigidly supported baskethaving guide blocks at the sides thereof, a frame slidable in saidblocks and comprising side arms and a bumper bar connecting them at thefront, an auxiliary basket positioned under the rigid basket, and meanscontrolled by the movements of said frame for releasing said auxiliarybasket and for forcing it forwardly for the purpose set forth.

2. A life saving fender for vehicles comprising a fixed basket attachedto the front of the vehicle, an auxiliary basket having wheels at thefront and movably supported under the fixed one, means for automaticallymoving the auxiliary basket forward with its front wheels resting on theroad bed when a person is struck, and means for returning the parts tothe normal back position, said means comprising pivoted latches and dashpot controlled springs to retard the forward thrust thereof.

3. In a life saving fender a main basket rigidly supported at the frontof a vehicle and having guides at the sides thereof, a bumper framesupported therein and consisting of side parallel arms and a connectingbumper bar at the front and normally spaced from said basket said barbeing padded with soft material, tensional means connected to the sidearms and to a fiXed point to normally urge the bumper frame forwardly,an auxlllary basket, and means controlled by said frame for forcing itforwardly into the operative position.

4. In a life saving fender a rigidly mounted basket, an auxiliary basketcomprising side bars carrying leveled lugs, front and rear rollers, anendless apron on said rollers, wheels at the front thereof and gears atthe rear, a bumper frame slidable on said fixed basket, means controlledby the said frame for pushing the auxiliary basket forward, and meansfor rotating said gears to operate the apron as the said auxiliarybasket is moving forward.

5. A life saving fender including a main basket and an auxiliary basketnormally supported thereunder, a bumper frame and means controlled bysaid frame for forcing the auxiliary frame forwardly from under the mainbasket, said means comprising swinging catches, plunger rods, springsthereon, and dash pots to retard the forward movement of the parts.

6. A life saving fender for cars, comprising a main basket having arigid bar frame, cushioning material on and mesh material between saidbars, brackets having adjust able connections with said basket andbolted to the car, an auxiliary basket mounted under the main basket, abumper frame slidable on said main basket, devices controlled by saidframe for forcing the auxiliary basket forward with its front endresting on the ground, and connections operated from the front of thecar for returning said auxiliary basket to its normal inoperativeposition.

7. In a life saving fender a rigidly mounted basket, an auxiliary basketcomprising side bars marrying beveled lugs, front and rear shaftsconnecting said side bars, gears keyed to the rear shaft, a roll erthereon, a roller and wheels on the front shaft, an endless aproncarried by the front roller and the said driving roller,

means for maintaining the two rear rollersv in fixed relation, rack barsarranged along and under the side edges of the fixed basket and withwhich the said gears are meshed, a bumper frame slidably supported insaid fixed basket, and means controlled by said frame for forcingthefauxiliary frame forwardly for the purpose set forth.

, Signed at lVhiting, in the county of Lake, and State of Indiana, this21st day of May, A. D. 1927.

' JOHN TUBA.

